Beis Malka Girls' School

Beis Malka Girls’ School 93 Alkham Road, London N16 6XD

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Context of the inspection

 This unannounced emergency inspection was conducted at the request of the Department for Education (DfE) to check the school’s compliance with independent school regulations 2014.  The main focus of the inspection was on parts of the independent school standards. Part 1: Quality of education provided (paragraph 2(2)(d)(ii), 2(2)(e), 2(2)(i) and 3(j)); Part 3: Welfare, health and safety of pupils (paragraph 7(a) and 7(b)) and Part 8: Quality of leadership and management (paragraph 34(1), 34(1)(a), 34(1)(b) and 34(1)(c)).  In addition to this, standards that were unmet in the previous inspection were also inspected. These were Part 2: Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils (paragraph 5(b) (iii) and 5(b)(vi)); Part 3: Welfare, health and safety of pupils (paragraph 7(a), 7(b) and 15).  The inspection also took account of the areas requiring improvement in the evaluation of the

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Context of the inspection

school’s action plan of 21 January 2016. The inspection was carried out without notice.  One of Her Majesty’s Inspectors visited the school on 1 June 2016 to gather additional evidence.

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Main findings

 School leaders have worked hard to comply with almost all the regulatory requirements identified as unmet in the previous report. The school’s curriculum is now broad and more relevant to the needs of pupils. All national curriculum subjects are taught and additionally, pupils learn the Hebrew language. Personal, social, health and economic education (PSHEE) and citizenship are taught discretely and through other subjects. Religious education (RE) is taught in Kodesh curriculum which is taught in Yiddish.  Since the previous inspection, the school has developed and implemented schemes of work for information technology (IT). The areas of study in IT are identified for each year group, and this supports teachers to plan lessons effectively. Arrangements are also being made to improve the curriculum for science. Currently, the school offers single science awards for GCSE. Plans are being developed to offer combined science trilogy awards from September 2016.

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Main findings

 Leaders have reviewed the school’s approach to PSHEE. They have drawn up a written PSHEE policy, plans and a programme of work. However, the issue of pupils’ learning to understand and respect different lifestyle choices, such as those included as ‘protected characteristics’ under the Equality Act, is avoided. The approach to this important aspect of the PSHEE programme is not developed in the school’s written documentation. This also means that this aspect of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is not promoted or developed. These two standards remain unmet.  The school prepares pupils generally for other aspects of life in modern Britain. Pupils in Year 5 have visited the Houses of Parliament recently. Pupils in Years 7 to 11 are encouraged to engage in democratic processes through electing pupil representatives onto the pupil forum. Topical mock elections, for example to elect a new mayor for London, or to decide whether

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Main findings

Britain should remain within the European Union, encourage pupils to engage in political debate and take part in important decision making. Monitoring report: Beis Malka Girls’ School, 14 April 2016 2 of 5

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Main findings

 The school has improved the careers guidance provided for secondary pupils that better encourages them to fulfil their potential. A wide variety of visitors including a bank employee, a dental assistant, a psychologist and an author have spoken to pupils about their professions. In order to provide pupils with independent careers guidance the school has developed links with Hackney College. Through effective partnership work, Year 11 pupils benefit from a programme of workshops, taster sessions and advice covering future studies and careers options. The school is at the early stages of building links within the community to increase work-experience opportunities for pupils in Year 11.  The school has now updated its safeguarding policy, taking essential guidance into account such as ‘Keeping children safe in education’, Department for Education, July 2015. Leaders have made sure that staff who have designated child protection responsibilities have clear job

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Main findings

descriptions. Leaders have established detailed procedures to be followed by the chair of the governing body should any safeguarding concerns arise regarding the headteacher. This meets requirements.  The school has implemented strategies to ensure that pupils are enabled to contribute more widely to society outside their faith group. Pupils have started three projects to raise funds for national and international charities. Since December 2015, they have raised funds for the Fire Fighter Charity. Pupils collect textiles and donate them for recycling. They are currently engaged in planning a ‘big bake sale’ to raise money for educating children in Sierra Leone. Activities are planned to support a third charity, Handicap International.  The July 2015 inspection found that the admission register did not meet requirements as there were no entries in the ‘Details of Leaving Column’. The admission register now meets

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Main findings

requirements. The details of pupils’ destinations are now recorded. The school has managed to get the details of the former pupils’ destinations as well. After leaving the Jewish Seminary, pupils have achieved or are studying A-level courses, for example in mathematics or business accounting, as well as a range of work-related qualifications.  The unregistered crèche on the school site closed on 15 April 2016.  The inspection of July 2015 found that a number of independent school standards were unmet in relation to safeguarding. Leaders and managers of the schools were not vigilant in ensuring that the school met the requirements. The leaders of both primary and secondary schools have an improved knowledge and understanding of the independent school standards. Importantly, they are keen to fulfil their responsibilities to meet requirements. Following the last inspection, they drew up an action plan which was evaluated in January 2016, and met all but one area

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Main findings

which concerned giving particular regard to all of the protected characteristics set out in the Equality Act 2010. Leaders have devised written policy, plans and a scheme of work for PSHEE but aspects of the related standards remain unmet. For this reason, the standards relating to the quality of leadership and management also remains unmet.

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 Ensure that personal, social, health and economic education encourages respect for other people, paying particular regard to the protected characteristics set out in the 2010 Act (paragraph 2(2)(d)(ii)).

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Part 2. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

 Actively promote principles which ensure that personal, social, health and economic education encourages pupils’ respect for other people, paying particular regard to the protected characteristics set out in the 2010 Act (paragraph 5(b)(vi)). Monitoring report: Beis Malka Girls’ School, 14 April 2016 3 of 5

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

 Ensure that leaders demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role and fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently and actively promote the well-being of pupils (paragraphs 34(1)(a), 34(1)(b) and 34(1)(c)).

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Inspection team

Kanwaljit Singh, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Madeleine Gerard Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Information about this school

 Beis Malka Girls’ School is an independent Orthodox Jewish day school for girls. It is situated in Stoke Newington in the London Borough of Hackney. It has 482 pupils aged from two to 16 years.  The school has separate secondary and primary provision as well as provision for children aged two to three on one site. Early years provision for children aged three to five is located in a different building a few minutes’ walk away. The primary and secondary schools work independently with their own senior leadership teams, but the secondary headteacher oversees both the schools.  The inspection took place in the secondary and primary school building. The early years provision for children aged two to five was not part of the inspection.  The school opened in 1980 and was inspected by Ofsted in October 2013, when the overall effectiveness was judged to be good. However, an emergency inspection on 15 July 2015

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Information about this school

identified some unmet independent school standards. The school submitted an action plan, which was evaluated in January 2016. Some areas of the plan required improvement.  The unregistered crèche for children aged four months to two years closed on 15 April 2016.  There are 47 pupils on the special educational needs and disability register with 11 pupils who have a statement of special educational needs.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school does not have a website. Policies are available to parents in the school.  The school’s aim is ‘We take pride in doing EXTRA – Excellence, Tradition, Respect and Ambition.’ Monitoring report: Beis Malka Girls’ School, 14 April 2016 4 of 5

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School details

Unique reference number 100295 Inspection number 10017616 DfE registration number 204/6337 This inspection was conducted at the request of the registration authority for independent schools. It was carried out under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008.

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School details

Type of school Orthodox Jewish Day School status Independent school Age range of pupils 2–16 Gender of pupils Girls Number of pupils on the school roll 482 Number of part time pupils None Proprietor Mr A Grosman Chair Mr A Grosman Headteacher Mrs Wind – Secondary School Mrs Schonfeld – Primary School Date of previous school inspection 15 July 2015 Annual fees (day pupils) £2,080 Telephone number 020 8806 2070 Fax number 020 8806 1719 Email address mail@beismalka.com Monitoring report: Beis Malka Girls’ School, 14 April 2016 5 of 5

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School details

guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

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School details

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School details

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School details

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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